Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1760 - 1759: Chains of Ascension

Shard attempted to lift the Black Metal Balance to inspect it, while the boy, who hadn’t dared to speak, cautiously supported Mrs. Miles and said:

"Maybe we can determine the direction by observing the height difference between the two sides... just like a compass." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The boy was right. The Balance was not in a state of equilibrium. As he held it and rotated in place, the left end of the Balance was always pressing down, and the degree of depression varied depending on the direction it pointed.

So Shard turned in place and found the direction of the lowest depression of the Balance. It pointed to the left front. Thus, the group held up torches and walked a few dozen steps along the paths between the stalls, leading them completely into the Black Mist Camp. During this, the Witch allowed the Balance to float from Shard’s hand and allowed it to spin slowly, to help the group better adjust their direction.

For this reason, after walking just a few dozen steps, they confirmed that the Balance pointed deeper into the camp, rather than to the left side of the path ahead.

"Mrs. Miles, can you hold on?"

Once they penetrated deeper into the camp, it would take a longer time to get out again, and the oppression and cold in the depths of the camp would make it even harder for people to cope. Therefore, Miss Higgins asked her employer in advance. Though she was exhausted, the latter still nodded:

"No problem."

The boy Andor Ade was a bit bolder, continuing to support the old lady self-consciously; though no one asked him, he also nodded with a shiver.

But looking ahead, just within visible range, the path at the entrance of the camp was narrowing. The stalls would become more dense in the depths of the camp, and from earlier experience, once one was determined to want to purchase goods, it seemed impossible to leave without paying a price.

Therefore, Shard and the Witch discussed it and finally decided to proceed in a single file, with each person placing their non-torch holding hand on the shoulder of the person in front. With Witch Leah Higgins and the Balance leading the way, followed by the aged Sarah Miles, then Shard, and finally the boy Andor Ade.

"You are not placed at the end because as long as we do not break the rules, the possibility of an attack is low, so there’s no need to specifically have you guard the rear. Instead, walking in the middle allows you to attend to both the front and back."

The Witch explained this to Shard, though everyone could see she was deliberately trying to ensure Grandma Miles’ safety.

Shard had no objections to this arrangement. If possible, he would protect everyone. Probably because of a lack of trust in Shard, the young Witch made a promise to him:

"If we have any coins left after Grandma Miles’ transaction, all those coins will be yours."

Shard still had no objections, but he did not think he would have the opportunity to use those coins. Judging from previous experience, if he couldn’t find a Deity, neither the boy nor Mrs. Miles would be able to complete their transaction.

The best plan now is actually to find a way to get all the coins and then use them to seek out any possible Deities. Then, once a Deity is found, through a transaction with the Deity, help everyone fulfill their wishes.

But clearly, the Witch would not easily hand over all the coins, and Shard had no intention of letting his first conflict with the Witch of the Fifth Era occur here. After all, this was just his first time using this key. He was willing to wait, first making every effort to become familiar with the rules of this camp before planning further.

So the four of them placed their hands on the shoulder of the person in front of them in sequence, advancing silently through the camp shrouded in black mist. Shard could feel the trembling of both the old lady in front of him and the boy behind him, but no one had the intention to give up because of that. It was hard to say whether their movements were stranger, or if the completely motionless silhouettes in the camp were more terrifying.

As they went deeper, the paths between the stalls indeed became increasingly narrow and rugged until only one person could proceed without touching the surroundings. Most of the stalls here displayed three items, one revealed while the other two were shrouded in black mist. However, some stalls had a number of items far exceeding the average.

Moreover, this place was called the "Black Mist Camp" rather than "Black Mist Market", so in addition to vendors selling goods, there were also some shadows engaged in other activities.

When Miss Higgins, leading the group, illuminated with her torch a shadow standing on a decaying wooden stool, performing the act of "tilting its head back to swallow a long sword into its mouth," the originally motionless shadow astonishingly removed the long sword from its mouth, then swallowed it again, repeatedly performing this action.

Miss Higgins hesitated noticeably, then pretended not to see the bizarre scene and continued forward. Shard expected something to happen but was surprised when she smoothly passed by it, and Grandma Miles also did not trigger the strange shadow. However, when it was Shard’s turn, the shadow’s sword-swallowing action suddenly stopped.

The group wisely chose not to hasten their pace but instead stopped as well, with Shard and the Witch standing protectively in front of Mrs. Miles and the boy Andor Ade.

The shadow lowered the hand holding the black mist sword, then jumped down from the wobbly stool. It used the other hand to point first at Shard, then at the boy behind him.

Just as everyone was puzzled and tense, it lifted a tattered, bloodstained brown cloth bag from behind the stool. Shaking it a few times, the sound of items clashing against each other echoed in the soundless campsite enveloped in black mist.

The black shadow pointed again at Shard and the boy, then pulled open the mouth of the pocket, aiming a small opening at Shard.

It certainly wasn’t trying to suck Shard into the pocket, but remained still.

Although the group of four speculated about its intentions, they were still somewhat incredulous:

"Is it giving you a gift?"

The witch’s body trembled slightly, the torchlight illuminating her somewhat pale face. She suppressed her fear and whispered to the strange man beside her:

"But that’s strange, even if the camp magician wants to give a gift to others, why only give it to the man? If it was only given to the child, I could understand."

By this, Shard understood he was once again judged as a "child."

The boy hid behind Shard, not daring to reach out, while Shard stared at the pocket and suddenly took a step towards the side, away from the crowd.

Immediately, everyone heard the sound of chains rattling in the black mist. As expected, those bloodstained black chains appeared from the mist again, except this time the chains were inscribed with "Suicide" in runes from different eras.

Shard hurried back to his original position, and after confirming the chains had retreated into the mist, he finally reached his hand into the pocket. This was completely different from touching the "God’s Gift Box," as an extreme cold shot up Shard’s right hand, making him shiver violently. He suspected that if the Primal Fire wasn’t still burning within him, he wouldn’t last even five seconds.

There was more than one thing inside the pocket; with his touch, he sensed the astonishing Whisper Elements and chaotic spirits. Shard wanted to ask "her" to help appraise the final value of these things, but before he could, a kind of instinctual attraction had already led him to touch what he desired. It wasn’t Shard choosing the gift, it was the gift choosing him:

"What is this?"

Without hesitation, he directly pulled out the cold metal block he touched.

It was a small black metal cubus, its deep color resembling the black metal balance. Each of the cubus’s six surfaces was engraved with "Greed" runes, and as Shard gazed at it, the metal actually melted in his hand, unable to be discarded.

[Outlander, your ’Greed’ sin has increased.]

[Your Arcane Technique—Great Sin Chain has been affected, please wait... Arcane Technique upgraded, you can simultaneously manifest two chains.]

Amidst the rattling sound, the [Great Sin Chain] extended from both sleeves simultaneously. Originally appearing as metal that could absorb light, under the torchlight now, the metallic texture was even deeper and more severe. Just moments before, when Shard clashed with those numerous "Greed" chains, he realized he might also increase the number of [Great Sin Chains], and unexpectedly, even before he actively did anything, this key Arcane Technique was upgraded.

For the non-aggressive "Great Sin Chain," the most important aspect of exerting its restraining effect was actually how to catch the opponent, and the increase in quantity brought an immeasurable improvement.

"But, God of Wealth... Greed... Isn’t this a bit off?"

No one else said anything to Shard, not even the witch expressed any opinion.

"Next is you, don’t keep your hand in the pocket for too long, no more than a second,"

Shard said to the boy behind him, worrying the boy, who was just a normal person, might be too affected.

The boy then shakily reached his hand into the pocket, almost immediately withdrawing his hand covered in frost, now gripping a small dagger with a sheath. The sheath and handle were adorned with black gemstones, and due to the cold, the metal had even adhered to his skin, which Shard relieved with spellcasting.

This object was also a Relic, or as its derivative. Placing it on the boy was certainly dangerous, but when Shard suggested the dagger be temporarily kept by himself or the witch, the rattling sound once again was heard around.

"I don’t want it anymore, put your chains away."

After gifting the two "children," the black shadow returned to the bench to continue its magic show. From this, the group learned more rules about the camp: besides the vendors, other shadows existed here, but encountering them could be a blessing or a curse, depending on them.